


Five Times Nate's Valentine's Day Was Officially Ruined And One Time He Didn't Let ANYTHING Ruin It

by seraphina_snape



Series: Team Thief V-Day Ficlets [9]
Category: Leverage
Genre: 5+1 Things, F/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 13:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/pseuds/seraphina_snape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>See title.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The one where Marcy Dougal's big brother decides he's not good enough for his baby sister

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ellabell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellabell/gifts).



> Written for the Team Thief V-Day Love Fest. This ficlet is for [ella_bee](http://ella-bee.livejournal.com/profile).

Nate is running an errand for his father when Rob Dougal corners him in an alley between a greengrocer's and an adult movie theatre. 

"Ford," Rob says, pushing a finger into Nate's chest. "Don't bother coming around on Friday. I want you to stay away from my sister." 

Nate raises an eyebrow. "Last I checked, it was Marcy's decision to go out with me." 

"Marcy doesn't need your kind around, Ford," Rob says. "She's a good kid, and you're not ruining her." 

There's a smartass reply on the tip of Nate's tongue, but before he can say anything, Rob nods at someone behind Nate and his arms are grabbed by two guys he hadn't even known were there.

"And to make sure you get the message..." Rob makes a fist and punches it into Nate's stomach. Nate wants to double over, protect his stomach until the urge to spit up his lunch subsides. But the two guys on either side hold him in place as Rob lands a few more punches to his stomach and chest. 

Rob smirks and Nate doesn't know how to prepare for whatever nastiness Rob has in store next. A few seconds later it becomes clear that Nate shouldn't have worried about his stomach but his face as Rob lands a perfect blow to his nose. Nate feels something crack and the floodgates open, blood streaming out of his nose and spilling down his shirt.

"Stay away from Marcy!" 

Rob nods to his two goons and they drop Nate so unexpectedly that he falls to his knees. 

The next morning at school, Marcy sneers at him when he tries to talk to her. 

"My brother told you he saw you making out with Lisa Franklin," she says. 

"Your brother beat me up," Nate protests. 

"Good," Marcy says with a cold look at his taped up nose. "I hope it hurts." 

It does, but Nate pretends he doesn't have a care in the world as he walks past Marcy, his head held high.


	2. The one where his father gets arrested

"Maggie?" Nate asks from the doorway. "Ready?" 

"Almost done!" 

Nate watches for a moment as Maggie puts the finishing touches on her outfit and make-up before spritzing herself with her new perfume - his Valentine's gift for her. 

She smiles at him, opening her mouth to say something when the telephone interrupts them. Maggie picks up the phone and then hands it over to Nate. 

If he's honest with himself, a drunk and disorderly charge (and property damage) isn't what Nate had envisioned when he thought about the ways his father might land in jail (again) one day. He also hadn't counted on his Valentine's Day plans to fall through because he had to bail his father out - had it just been him, Nate would have let him stew until the next morning. But Maggie - wonderful, compassionate Maggie - argues that they can't leave him in jail overnight. Nate begs to differ, but he doesn't want to start an argument, so he finds himself in the waiting room of the police station forty minutes later, waiting for the paperwork to be processed before they can take his dad home. 

Nate shifts on the uncomfortable wooden bench, trying to find a position that would keep his butt from falling asleep. The movement tugs on his suit pants and reminds him of the small jewelry box in his right pocket. He sighs. 

Maggie gives him a sympathetic smile. "Not the most comfortable waiting room," she says. "I'm sorry, Nate. I know you had something special planned for tonight." 

"Not your fault," he responds automatically, his hand tightening on the small box. "And you don't know the half of it." 

"I'm sure we can make reservations for another day to eat at whatever restaurant you picked for today. It's not the end of the world, honey." 

Nate shakes his head. "It's not about the food. Tonight was supposed to be special." 

"Special how?" 

Nate takes a quick glance around the waiting room. Apart from them, only three other people are sitting in the room. What looks to be a homeless guy is sitting in the far corner, slumped down on the bench and in the corner opposite of them is a pair of middle-aged women talking in rapid Spanish. Nate takes a deep breath and takes the box out of his pocket. 

Maggie's eyes go wide.

"I've had this for a while now and I figured Valentine's Day would be the perfect date for this sort of thing," Nate says. The floor looks like it hadn't been cleaned since the McCarthy era, but Nate sinks down to his knees anyway. 

"Maggie Collins, would you do me the honor of--"

"Ford!" The desk sergeant who called his name looks up from his clipboard and takes in the scene. "Whoa. Sorry, man."

"Can you give us a minute?" Maggie says, placing a calming hand on Nate's shoulder.

"Sure, whatever you need. Just come to the desk once you're finished." He gives them a small wave with his clipboard and turns to go, shooting a "Good luck!" at Nate over his shoulder. 

When Nate turns back to Maggie, she can hardly contain her amusement. She's biting her lip and her shoulders are shaking with suppressed laughter. She's never been more beautiful. 

"Marry me?" he simply asks. 

Maggie nods, a huge smile breaking out on her face. "Yes!" 

He drops the ring when he goes to put it on her finger and they spend the next ten minutes looking for it, blindly reaching underneath the bench seats and carefully not thinking about all the things they're possibly touching before they eventually manage to find the ring.  
It's the best worst Valentine's Day of Nate's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this one is kind of a cheat because it's not actually ruined. But are you really complaining?


	3. The one where Sam infects him with chickenpox

Nate sits on the sofa, waiting for Maggie to come downstairs so they can go have a nice dinner and then see a nice movie and have an overall nice evening together. Sam is with their next-door neighbor Mrs Craig who's been kind enough to watch him even though he caught the chickenpox at school and has been unbearable all week. Nate has developed a tension headache just from listening to Sam's plaintive cries about the itching lesions. 

Nate rubs his temples in a futile effort to dispel the lingering headache. A little piece and quiet is exactly what he needs. Leisurely dinner at their favorite French restaurant, a romantic movie without any serious plot lines and a round of slow love-making.

"Are you okay, honey?" 

Nate jumps and squints up at Maggie. "Sorry, I didn't hear you." 

"I can see that," Maggie says, brushing a hand through his short curls. He prefers to keep his hair slicked back at work, but Maggie loves the way his hair curls and she had requested that he keep it like this for the night.

"Hmm." 

"What?"

"You're feeling a little warm," Maggie says, resting the back of her hand against his forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

Nate shrugs. "It's probably just a cold. I'll take something for it later."

"Headache? Aching muscles? A little nausea?" Maggie asks. 

"Yeah, like I said, a cold."

"Sorry, honey, but I'm not sure it's a cold." Maggie gives him a rueful smile. "I think you caught the chickenpox from Sam."

"What? No." Nate shakes his head, ignoring the way his arms and legs feel heavier than they should. "I must have had that as a kid." 

"Not everyone does." 

"I'm sure I did," Nate insists. 

Maggie cups his cheek and tilts his head up. She presses a chaste kiss to his lips and rubs her hand against his neck. "No, sorry, Nate. It's chickenpox." She puts her finger on his neck. "There's a spot right here. If you take your shirt off, I bet there are more." 

Nate groans. Now that Maggie has pointed it out, he feels itchy. He raises a hand to scratch at his neck, only to have it batted away by Maggie. "You'll have to go to the doctor tomorrow, but for now, why don't you head on upstairs? I'll make you some tea and be right up." 

Nate trudges up the stairs. So much for his plans for the night.


	4. The one where Parker and Eliot get arrested

Nate tells no one where they're going, hides both of their comms, leaves his phone on his bedside table and makes Sophie do the same with hers, but Hardison still finds him. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Hello, I'm Jerome, I'll be your waiter for the evening," Hardison says loudly. Then, quieter, he adds, "Houston, we have a problem." 

"Hardison," Sophie says from across the table. "Just tell us." 

"Of course, a red wine would go perfectly with that, ma'am," Hardison says, smiling at the couple one table over when they frown at his loud voice. 

"Hardison, just spit it out," Nate growls. "Where are Eliot and Parker? I swear, if you're robbing this place--" 

"No, man. We would never!" Hardison actually looks affronted for a second, before he breaks into a smile. "Okay, no, we totally would. But we actually had other plans. Only Eliot and Parker got arrested and--"

"Arrested?" Nate interrupts, louder than he means to. 

The couple at the next table exchange a meaningful glance and the woman actually shifts her body a little, leaning further away from them. 

"Explain," he adds a little quieter. 

"We were in this club, you see. Nothing illegal - just drinking and dancing. And then _bam!_ Police raid. Turns out the owner had a little side business. And since neither Parker nor Eliot bothered with any ID tonight - not even one of the beautiful fakes I make for everyone - the police arrested them along with the actual drug dealers and a bunch of people who were mouthing off or didn't have any ID. Now, I suspect most of these people will be out of there soon enough - as fast as they can do the paperwork and confirm identities - but if they print Eliot and Parker--"

"Yeah, that's not good," Nate says. He shares a resigned look with Sophie and stands up. "Come on then. Let's go get our hitter and thief back."


	5. The one where S.H.I.E.L.D. agents think they actually are S.H.I.E.L.D. consultants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is only a sort-of-but-not-really crossover. No one from The Avengers actually appears which is why it's not tagged as a crossover. Just... S.H.I.E.L.D. exists in this universe and they think Nate & Co. are consultants/freelancing agents when they're really just con men. So it's more of a fusion? IDK. 
> 
> (Anyway, you don't even need to know The Avengers. All you need to know is that S.H.I.E.L.D. is a government agency dealing with stuff like aliens in New York and actual Norse Gods in New Mexico or wherever Thor was set.)

Nate is trying to figure out his bowtie on his own when his cell phone rings. 

"Hello?" he says, distracted. 

"Is that Leverage Consulting?" 

Nate freezes. They haven't used that name in a while and it sends all sorts of alarm bells ringing in his head. "Who is this?"

"I'm calling on behalf of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enfor--"

"What does S.H.I.E.L.D. want?"

"There is a situation developing in New York," the man on the other end of the line said. "All available agents and associates of S.H.I.E.L.D. are standing by world-wide to do damage control once this breaks open. If you and your team are free for the next few weeks, we'd like to hire you. You did a good job last time." 

Nate wants to laugh. The team had spent three weeks in Chicago, conning their mark into thinking they were S.H.I.E.L.D. consultants contracted to clean up his messes. Apparently they had been more convincing than they thought. 

It's on the tip of Nate's tongue to say 'no thanks' and hang up the phone. But they are on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar now whether or not S.H.I.E.L.D. knows they're not actually official S.H.I.E.L.D. consultants or not. If they say yes, they may get exposed as con men and have to scatter and regroup later. If they say no, they may have to spend the rest of their time in Portland looking over their shoulders. And besides, they are the good guys. Helping people is what they do.

"When and where do you need us?"

"A car will pick you up in an hour." 

The line goes dead. Nate tugs on his bowtie and drops it on the bed. He grabs his go bag from inside the closet and calls the team to meet him at his place.


	6. + 1: The one where Nate puts his foot down

Sophie is starting to feel annoyed. 

Nate's been on edge all evening, just waiting for the worst to happen and ruin their evening. But his fidgeting and the constant glances he sneaks at the doors make it look like he's on the jump. By the time they're having dessert, Sophie is giving only one-word answers and while the rest of the meal had been excellent, his heart-shaped strawberry pie tastes like it's made of cardboard. 

Somewhere in the back of the restaurant, a door is flung open and Nate jumps, twisting around in his seat to make sure it's not one of the others.

"Would you just relax?" Sophie snaps at him. "Hardison, Parker and Eliot have better things to do than to ruin Valentine's Day for us. Not that you seem to need any help with that," she adds snidely. 

"Sorry," Nate says automatically. Then his brain catches up to the rest of him and he chuckles ruefully. "I have been pretty jumpy today, haven't I? Sorry about that. We worked on Valentine's Day the last couple of years and I just wanted us to have this night to ourselves."

Sophie's eyes soften and she smiles at him. "Well, then why don't we get the rest of this packed up and go home?" 

Nate flags down a waiter and holds Sophie's hand while they wait for the check. 

The drive home is an exercise in patience and Nate falls the rest of his anxiety slide off in order to make room for anticipation. But they've barely made it up the stairs to the bedroom when someone bursts through the front door. 

"No, no, no, no, no." Nate kicks the dresser in frustration. "Tell me this isn't happening." 

Sophie sighs. She looks absolutely delicious with her hair slightly disheveled and the zipper of her high-collared dress pulled down to reveal a pale, graceful neck. 

"I'll go and see what they want," Nate says. "You stay here and get comfortable. I won't be long," he promises.

Downstairs, Parker and Eliot are arguing in his kitchen. Nate glares at them both and doubles his glare in intensity when Eliot smirks slightly at his undone belt and the lipstick on his shirt collar. 

"Hardison is in trouble, I take it?" 

"Yes, he--"

Nate holds up a hand and Parker shuts her mouth. 

"Is he dying?"

Parker and Eliot exchange a confused look.

"Is he literally dying? Car accident, knife in his back, bullet in his gut, dying?" 

"No," Eliot said. 

"We were--"

"Is he in danger of dying within the next twenty-four hours?" Nate interrupts.

Parker looks at Eliot, who shrugs at her. "I guess not?" she says. "We were--"

"Ah, ah, ah." Nate mimes zipping his mouth shut. "I don't want to hear it. Today is Valentine's Day. If you aren't in mortal danger, then I don't care. I don't want to see, I don't want to hear about it, I don't want to know about it. Come back tomorrow." 

"But Nate!"

"No buts. You two? Out!" Nate points at the back door. "Go on." 

"Don't you--"

"No!" Nate shakes his head for added emphasis. "Tonight, I am making love to a beautiful woman who deserves to be wined and dined and showered in rose petals and diamonds on this magical, romantic night. But instead of up there with her, I'm down here talking to you two. So no, unless you're dying, I don't care. Come back in the morning." 

"Right," Eliot says. "Come on, Parker. Hardison's gonna be fine. We can rescue him tomorrow." 

Parker looks like she wants to protest, but Eliot drags her out by the arm and Nate heads back to the stairs. Sophie is sitting on the top stair, dressed only in a satin robe.

"Wasn't that a bit harsh?"

Nate shrugs. "They have to grow up some time." 

"True." 

Nate reaches Sophie and offers her a hand up. She takes it and runs her thumb over the back of his hand. Unexpectedly she gives Nate's hand a hard tug and he stumbles backwards into the bedroom. Sophie smirks and pushes him down onto the bed. 

"So... rose petals and diamonds?" 

Nate just grins.


End file.
